The annulment of the settlement
between the IDF and the Har Bracha yeshiva hasn't effected hesder students' motivation to serve in the IDF. Many yeshiva students joined the Givati Brigade on Monday and were assigned to a separate and integrated company.

Some 850 yeshiva students are slated to enlist in the army during the month of March, 73.5% of whom will serve as combatants in Golani, Givati and Kfir Brigades as well as in Combat Engineering, Field Intelligence and Armored Corps units.

The Hesder Yeshivot Union stated that the March 2010 enlistment round has seen a record in the number of hesder yeshivot recruits.

In previous years the hesder soldiers were enlisted on a separate day than other soldiers and were later assigned to the various brigades. This year the yeshiva students will join the army together with the rest of the soldiers for the first time.

Yeshiva students in the military induction center (Photo: Dvir Dotan)

Apart from the 850 students enlisting for combat service, some 170 yeshiva pupils are slated to join non-combat units including the Military Rabbinate, the Intelligence Corps and the Adjutant Corps.

Head of the Or Etzion yeshiva and member of the Hesder Yeshivot Union Rabbi Chaim Drukman arrived at the military induction center Monday morning and congratulated the new recruits.

Hesder Yeshivot Union Director-General Eitan Ozeri said, "The hesder yeshivot students are enlisting with high motivation to serve the country and safeguard the security of Israeli citizens. The hesder yeshivot will continue being in the forefront of defense activity together with their brothers in arms."

Some 550 students are slated to enlist in August and 100 more will join the army in November. In total 2010 recruitment is slated to see a 11% rise compared with 2009 enlistment rates.